Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma etching apparatus for removing a chip and the like formed on the periphery of a semiconductor device by plasma etching.
Description of the Related Art
For example, in a semiconductor device manufacturing process, devices such as ICs and LSIs are formed in a plurality of regions divided by predetermined division lines formed in a lattice manner on the front surface of a semiconductor wafer in substantially a disk shape, and the respective regions in which the devices are formed are divided along the predetermined division lines, whereby individual semiconductor devices are manufactured. A cutting device is typically used as a dividing device for dividing the semiconductor wafer. The cutting device cuts the semiconductor wafer along the predetermined division lines by a cutting blade having a thickness of about 20 μm. The thus divided semiconductor devices are packaged, and widely used in electric apparatuses such as portable telephones and personal computers.
However, the cutting device performs the cutting processing by a rotating cutting blade. Thus, small chips and stress occur in the peripheries of the semiconductor devices, and decrease the transverse rupture strength of the devices. In order to solve such a problem, a method has been proposed which divides a semiconductor wafer along predetermined division lines by plasma etching, and thereby obtains semiconductor devices without chips or stress occurring in the peripheries of the semiconductor devices (see Japanese Patent No. 4447325, for example).